CATARACT SURGERY

Do you have a cataract?
Look no further…

Border Health Alliance (BHA) was born out of a desire from local optometrists and eye surgeons to work together to reduce NHS cataract surgery waiting times for Herefordshire patients and to do so in a location convenient to them.

Why choose BHA?

Free parking

A convenient location in central Hereford.

A tailored service

to every patient by our caring, locally-based staff.

Minimal waiting times

Excellent outcomes

High quality

lens implants & state-of-the-art equipment.

Efficient services

including having both eye cataract surgeries performed on the same day if appropriate.

Follow-ups

performed at your local optometry practice, at a time convenient to you.

All for free on the NHS

What we do.

BHA offers cataract services including high quality cataract surgery and YAG laser capsulotomy treatments.

Unique to Herefordshire – compared to independent sector NHS cataract providers in neighboring counties – BHA offers same day both eyes cataract surgery. This means that if you have cataracts in both eyes, and don’t have any additional risk factors, you can choose to have both cataracts removed on the same day (bilateral surgery) if you wish. Bilateral surgery is safe and this approach is now endorsed by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists as well as being the default approach within both the Victoria Eye Unit at the County Hospital in Hereford, as well as privately at The Wye Clinic.

Cataract surgery.

BHA has made cataract surgery simple for patients. No travel out of Herefordshire, minimal waiting times, excellent surgeons and all done within a few hours – home in time for tea!

A cataract is a cloudy lens inside your eye, usually causing blurry vision and a change in your spectacle prescription, reducing your confidence and often stopping you driving. Once you’ve developed a cataract, it only worsens with time and the only successful treatment is a procedure to remove it. With BHA’s innovative technique, using eye-drop-only anaesthetic, cataracts are carefully removed using specialist ultrasound, followed by a new lens being inserted. Recovery is quick in the vast majority of cases, with many returning to driving within a few days.

Once you’ve developed symptoms from your cataract, you should seek treatment. Can you think of many medical conditions best treated late?

YAG laser capsulotomy.

If you’ve previously had cataract surgery, a small proportion of patients go on to develop posterior capsular opacity, a clouding of the membrane that holds your new lens in place.

This can be easily treated with a simple, one-off outpatient-based laser treatment, which restores your clarity. The procedure is totally painless and the whole visit should take less than an hour.

What symptoms should I expect from cataract?

If your vision is starting to get worse, it could be due to cataract, a cloudy lens inside your eye. Symptoms of cataract include:

  • Blurry vision
  • Misty vision
  • A change in colours seen and perceived
  • Difficulty with driving, especially seeing road signs
  • Haloes around lights
  • Ghosting or slight double vision
  • Rapid changes in your spectacle prescription

Your local optometrist (optician) will be able to diagnose the earliest signs of cataract and refer you to BHA, if you meet the NHS criteria for surgery.